1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the art of anti-snore devices and, more specifically, to a mouthpiece intended to alleviate benign loud snoring and to minimize mild to moderate sleep apnea disorders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various snore reducing mouthpieces are known in the prior art as represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 746,869, 774,446, 2,424,533, 3,132,647, 3,434,470, 4,304,227, 4,669,459, 4,676,240, 4,715,368 and 4,901,737. Each of these known prior art arrangements are directed to preventing snoring and/or sleep apnea by concentrating on one aspect of the problem. For instance, of the above-cited patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 746,869, 774,446, 2,424,533 and 3,434,470 are generally directed to mouthpiece devices which regulate the amount of air which can be inhaled and exhaled through the mouth of the user. The quantity of air is controlled so as to be insufficient to cause the necessary vibration incident to snoring and, in this manner, also regulates the flow of air through a user's nose.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,715,368 and 4,901,737 are generally directed to mouthpieces used in the prevention of sleep apnea disorders. Unlike the above-discussed patents which are intended to prevent snoring by reducing the intake of air through a user's mouth, these two patents disclose mouthpieces which are dentally supported and which are intended to provide for a fully opened mouth airway so that a user may unconstrictedly breath through the mouth, or through both the mouth and the nasal passages. Both of these patents are intended to space the upper and lower jaws of the user to thereby insure an air passageway into and out of the mouth. The mouthpieces disclosed in these two patents are held in a user's mouth by wiring which, not only requires professional fitting, but is uncomfortable to the user.
Another common arrangement used in the art for the prevention of snoring is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,132,647 and 4,669,459 which disclose mouthpiece arrangements intended to minimize vibrations associated with snoring. In the '647 patent, the anti-snore mouthpiece includes a downwardly extending support arm having a pad mounted on an end thereof which depresses against the user's tongue in order to maintain a space relationship between the user's palate and tongue. This arrangement, although it maintains a space relationship between the upper and lower jaws of the user and therefore permits free air passage through the user's mouth, is considerably uncomfortable to use as the tongue is depressed at a rear portion thereof.
The anti-snoring device disclosed in the '459 patent is also seen to be uncomfortable due to the fact that the mouthpiece must be clasped to upper molars on opposite sides of a user's mouth and includes a dangling button which can irritate the user as it applies pressure to the user's soft palate.
Another approach in the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea has been to provide a mouthpiece which spaces the upper and lower jaws of the user and positions the user's tongue forward of the teeth to increase the unobstructed dimension of the nasal breathing passage. Mouthpieces of this type are represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,227 and 4,676,240. During use of these mouthpieces, a user's tongue is substantially maintained in this forward position which is considered awkward and uncomfortable to the user.